The spread of the latest variant of COVID-19 in Ontario could have been a show stopper for an in-person meet-and-greet at the world's biggest mining convention in early March in Toronto.
But in wanting to be safe than sorry, organizers of the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada's (PDAC) annual convention are pushing the event ahead from its traditional first week of March gathering to June with two separate events; one live, one virtual, in mid and late-June, due to the current health restrictions on event gatherings.
"Despite our best efforts, we are unable to host the event as planned in March due to the current public health restrictions in Ontario," PDAC organizers said in an email to its newsletter subscribers.
"As a result, the PDAC board of directors has made the difficult decision to reschedule the convention, maintaining the same format. "PDAC 2022 will now be hosted in person in Toronto from June 13-15 and online from June 28-29."
PDAC staff said they'll monitor directives from government and public health agencies in their planning process. Last year's event was held entirely online due to pandemic-related gathering and international and domestic travel restrictions.
"We understand the date changes will create challenges for some," PDAC said. "However, it is important that we provide a solution that offers the best chance of success for all stakeholders.
"As you would expect, plans for this significant change are underway and we will endeavour to make the transition as seamless as possible. As more details are available they will be shared with you directly and published on our website."
The annual convention, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, attracts between 20,000 and 25,000 delegates from the global mining industry. The largest pavilion there is the popular Northern Ontario Mining Showcase.
